Hauntings
by Selestius
Summary: Imagery of an old friend plague this individual's mind. Who is it?


+ Author's Corner +

A little thing I whipped up right now (4:00 AM). No MSWord, no beta-readers, nothing; just to test my Fan-Fiction writing again; to rejuvenate my spark. Constructive criticism is accepted. Enjoy.

+ Disclaimer +

I do not own Pokémon, nor do I own the characters that are a part of this Fan-Fiction.

+Hauntings+  
+Written on July 26, 2006+  
+Status: Completed One-Shot+

**+Forewarnings+  
**+Slight Swearing+

A set of brown eyes looked out at the vast, blue ocean with angst. A young man, no older than fourteen, clenched his fist, and punched the wall of a cruise ship hard. Passersby would walk and look at the miserable young lad with question, wondering what was wrong with him.

"This damn ocean reminds me of her," the boy said, his voice cracking. Tears fell into the ocean waters, each one becoming a blur in an instant. "Damn it all!" he yelled in a new rage, punching the same wall again, his knuckles becoming a crimson red, some cuts seen, as well. It looks as if he was doing this for a while now.

He placed his hands in his pockets and walked on the deck of the cruise ship. It was evening; the sun was setting, creating a vivid array of purples and oranges in the sky. Pidgeotto were flying in front of the sun, their feathers gleaming brightly from a great distance. The young man looked at the birds, and then back to where he was walking; his dormitory.

"Nice of you to show up," a feminine voice said furiously. She stood up and smacked the young man on his cheek hard, causing it to turn red in an instant. Her brunette hair brushed against his face smoothly as she turned around to sit back where she was; a bed, relatively large, with a floral design on it. "I was worried sick about you! You said you'd show up at 5:30 sharp, and here we are, two hours later, you late, as usual. God, I wish I would've stayed at home and practiced, but I _had_ to tag along with you as you continued your journey."

"Baby, I--," he began, then closed his mouth. She was right. He was late, as usual. _I keep showing up late because of _her_. She is the reason that I've been out of whack lately. Why are these thoughts coming back to bite me in the ass now? I haven't seen her in over two years. She didn't care for me, nor did I for her. But why do these thoughts persist?_

"Ash, snap out of it!" the girl bellowed. She was angrier than ever. She was an impatient lass, one could surmise, no older than thirteen. "C'mon, what the hell is the matter with you? You haven't been your usual self; we're headed to a new land in hopes of new adventures and new friends, and you're not excited about it! Where's the Ash I know?" No response. She sighed in exasperation, grabbed her purse, and stormed out of the room, slamming the oak door on the way out.

Ash sat on the bed, took off his tattered sneakers, and placed them gently on the floor, and lay face-down, his face in a pillow of the same floral design. An image of a brown-headed adult male, a young redheaded lass, and a younger looking version of Ash appeared in his head. But the focus was on the redhead. Ash raised his head in an instant.

_Damn it! More of these images of Misty! God, what is it? Are you trying to say that I_ like _her or something? Give me a clue, here!_ A knock was heard on the door. Ash then looked up at the ceiling. _That was fast_, he thought. He opened the door to see May again. A somewhat delighted expression soon turned into one of despair. "Oh...it's you," he said.

May gave him a puzzled, yet aggravated look. She slapped him again and said with disgust, "Yes, it's me, what, you're not happy to see your girlfriend?" and walked inside. Ash rubbed his delicate, tomato-red cheek with gentleness, and sat down beside his girlfriend. He placed his hand in hers, and stared in her blue eyes.

He sighed, took a breath, and began. "May..." _I can't believe I'm doing this..._ he thought. His brunette-haired beauty stared at him with compassion this time. She knew she was going to hear something important, as his expression changed once again to one of worry and nervousness.

Ash continued, "...I keep getting thoughts of my dearest friends. Especially this one girl, whom you've met only once." May chuckled a bit.

"Ash, you mind narrowing it down a bit? We've met many friends, new and old, once many times before. C'mon, just tell me who it is, baby," she said. Ash sighed again in worry, and took another breather.

"May, it's Misty." He then closed his eyes and tried not to shed tears. _She's going to dump me. I just know it._ He then opened one eye to see a shocked, yet understanding, May.

"You love her, don't you?" she asked, letting go of Ash's hand, to feel a tighter grip on it. She tried not to yelp in pain, but she heard Ash's soft words, and ignored it.

"May, you know I love you, but a movie projector in my mind is now playing with me with old memories of my past with her; before and after I met you. Right now, I don't know who to love." May brought him closer to her, and kissed him. The usual, passionate kiss they often shared, Ash was hypnotized, and kissed back, ignoring all thoughts of Misty. His mind was focused on May. _I remember why I love her. She was always this caring, innocent, young girl with a heart of gold. Oh, May, you make me feel complete._ Their lips slowly drifted away. Their eyes met again.

"May, you're so beautiful. I know why I came to you; you remind me of myself; generous, caring, and pure. I won't let this haunt me anymore. She's out of my mind and memories for good." May smiled and hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and rubbed it to help soothe those two painful slaps.

"I love you too, Ash." Ash then widened his eyes. He could have sworn someone else said that. He looked out the window to see nothing but ocean. May looked the same way.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked. Ash then looked at her.

"Nothing, May...it's nothing." He looked out again to see a head of red hair. He muttered under his breath, "Misty..."

Tears could be heard from outside...


End file.
